Fair Skies
by fireflyrains
Summary: Drabbles and one-shots featuring romance between Luffy and Nami.
1. Wedding Day Blues

**Disclaimer:** I do not own One Piece. It is owned by Oda Eiichiro and whatever other persons/companies involved with its release/production.

**A/N:** All chapters will either be based upon the anime/manga version of the series (pre time-skip and post time-skip) or be AU based. I will be using Japanese for honorifics, professional titles, nicknames, locations, attacks/techniques, naming formats, and also a few various words here and there that do not fit into the listed categories. If you have any questions on what something means, please do not hesitate to ask. Thanks!

**Pre/Post Time-Skip (Anime, Manga, or Animanga) or AU: **Post Time-Skip (Animanga)

**Fair Skies  
**_Chapter One: Wedding Day Blues_

The after wedding reception was a blast. Everyone was eating, drinking, and wishing the bride and groom many heartfelt congratulations. It was a happy occasion for everyone.

Well, _almost_ everyone.

The red-haired woman had managed to sneak away from the reception hall, a glass of wine in one of her hands. Stepping onto the balcony, she took a deep breath and sighed deeply.

She was happy for Vivi and Kohza—she truly was—she even offered them her own congratulations, but the words, once they were past her lips, probably sounded more shallow than they should've been.

Groaning, she took a sip of wine from her glass. It had been several months since the crew found One Piece, thus earning Luffy the title of Kaizoku Ou, which ended up enticing more than several female captains to search him out to become his Kaizoku Jou—none of said female captains were successful. It had become painfully obvious, especially to Nami, that Luffy held no interest in romance, goal accomplished or not.

Even so, the red-haired navigator _knew_ that Luffy would never look at _her_ as a possible match, especially since she'd always knock him upside the head or yell at him for one reason or another. Violent and greedy women were probably out of the realm of Luffy's choice, anyway.

Once Nami had finished the rest of her wine, she stared down at the empty glass, eyes burning from the watery substance that began to well up in them. Irritated with herself, she blinked back the oncoming tears, took another deep breath, and was about to stalk back to the reception hall when she found her captain staring back at her.

"So, this is where you disappeared to! We were wondering where you were!" he exclaimed with a jovial grin.

"I needed some air; I was just about to head back," she said shortly, her head purposefully lowered so as to not show him how watery her eyes were becoming.

"I see," he said simply as he moved out her way, so that she could get past him. As he watched her move, he saw wetness slip down her left cheek. With wide eyes, he caught her left wrist, which, in turn, caused his bewildered navigator to look straight up at him.

"Hey, Nami, why're you crying?" he asked, his head cocked to one side. "Are you sad?"

Annoyed that he had caught her crying, she ripped her wrist away from his grasp. "It's nothing you need to be concerned about," she replied coolly, her eyes never leaving his.

"You're my nakama, Nami; how can I _not_ be concerned?" he asked, eyes hard and voice stern.

She knew that Luffy always put the problems of his crew before his own, but she also knew that his unrelenting sweetness to everybody he called friend would probably throw him into a sea of trouble one day.

Nami lowered her eyes momentarily before raising them back up to Luffy's, while offering him a sad smile. "One of these days that kindness of yours will cause many broken hearts."

Curiosity piqued him. "What do you mean? How can being kind to someone make them sad?"

She shook her head. "You really don't understand, do you, Luffy?"

Luffy just stared at her blankly and she sighed. "I guess that's just the way you are, huh?" Nami smiled a bit brighter, sadness ebbing from her system. "And the way you are is why I love you so much!"

The navigator's confession was followed by a heavy silence between them. Nami chewed on her lower lip nervously, while wondering if it was a wise choice to let him know of her feelings, especially since she believed that he would never reciprocate them.

Nami watched wordlessly as Luffy removed his hat from his head and let it dangle by its string on his back. Aroused by curiosity, she wished she knew what he was thinking, as the insides of her stomach felt like they were twisting more and more each passing moment.

"Nami," Luffy began, breaking the silence that had seemed so eternal to his navigator, "you don't love me as nakama, do you? It's different, isn't it?"

She blinked in surprise at his perceptiveness. "That's right," she confirmed. "It's completely different."

"How long have you felt this way?" Luffy inquired, his gaze a bit more intense than before.

She shrugged, her own eyes tearing their gaze away from his. "Perhaps since Skypiea, but no later than Water 7."

Luffy's brows furrowed. "And you never bothered to tell me?"

Nami grit her teeth in irritation as she pinned her eyes on his. "And suffer from rejection? No thank you!"

His eyes widened at Nami's outburst. "Rejection," Luffy repeated slowly. "If you really believe that I'm gonna reject you, then why'd you bother confessing in the first place?!"

"Yes, I know! It was stupid of me to do so! And _that's_ what's got me here, waiting; waiting for the rejection I know that's coming! So, let's get it over with; I haven't got all day!" Nami shouted as tears of frustration began to mark her face.

The young captain's mind was reeling at the fact that his navigator loved him and that her tears were because of him. He knew he cared about her, but, then again, he cared about all his nakama. He couldn't just up and tell her that he felt the same way because he wasn't even sure. Yet, the way she smiled, especially when it was directed towards him, made his heart throb more than anyone else's smile ever could.

Luffy licked his lips, swallowed, and said, "I don't know if I love you, but," he paused, placing both his hands on her shoulders, "I like you more than a nakama should."

Nami, who'd been expecting some form of rejection, was floored by Luffy's own confession. Feeling overwhelmed, the navigator fell out of Luffy's grasp, her knees hitting the ground.

"Nami?! Hey, what's wrong?!" Luffy exclaimed, bringing himself down to her level.

She began tearing up again. "I just... I never thought..." She fanned herself swiftly. "I think I'm hyperventilating..."

Luffy's instincts kicked in as he embraced the tearful woman, rubbing her back, while making soothing sounds to calm her. Once her tears stopped, Luffy pulled away slightly, just enough so his face was before hers. "Nami," he began in a low voice that caused the woman to blush, "I don't know why, but I wanna kiss you. Can I kiss you?"

She nodded once before we cupped her face in his hands and pressed his lips to hers. Neither of them had been kissed before that night, but Nami moved her own hands into her captain's hair and tangled them there before moving them to his shoulders and finally letting her arms wrap loosely around his neck. Luffy groaned as he felt Nami deepen the kiss, her tongue swiping over his lower lip, asking for entrance, which he granted readily, moaning as he felt her tongue dance with his own.

After a few moments, they broke apart, their mouths breathing deeply against one another. "Luffy," Nami began softly, "I thought you didn't like violent, greedy girls like me."

"You're like fire," Luffy explained as he ran a thumb over her lower lip. "I like the challenge you bring even if you can be greedy and violent at times. I like you more than any other girl out there because you don't put up with any of my crap—you yell at me and beat the shit outta me to prove your point. It's really refreshing, ya know? _And_, you're the most beautiful out of all of them, which is definitely a plus."

"Most... beautiful..." Nami's current blush deepened as she repeated those words. "But what about Boa Hancock or Shirahoshi-chan?! They're supposed to be two of the most beautiful women in the world!"

The captain shrugged indifferently. "Yeah, they're both beautiful, but they've got _nothing_ on you."

Nami's face went completely red at the compliment and before she could even say anything, Luffy had pressed his mouth to hers again, silencing whatever thoughts she had.

After a good moment, his mouth pulled away from hers as he pressed forehead against hers. "Nami, you'll be mine, right?" he asked, voice low and gentle.

She smiled and nuzzled her nose against his. "Always was; you'll be mine, too, right?"

Luffy closed his eyes and inhaled Nami's sweet scent before replying, "Yeah... yeah, I will."


	2. Love in the Clouds

**Disclaimer:** I do not own One Piece. It is owned by Oda Eiichiro and whatever other persons/companies involved with its release/production.

**A/N:** All chapters will either be based upon the anime/manga version of the series (pre time-skip and post time-skip) or be AU based. I will be using Japanese for honorifics, professional titles, nicknames, locations, attacks/techniques, naming formats, and also a few various words here and there that do not fit into the listed categories. If you have any questions on what something means, please do not hesitate to ask. Thanks!

**Pre/Post Time-Skip (Anime, Manga, or Animanga) or AU: **Pre Time-Skip (Animanga)

**Fair Skies  
**_Chapter Two: Love in the Clouds_

He'd really done it; he'd really beat that guy who was calling himself a god. And at that moment, he was relaxing, lying flat on his back against the cloud they were on. Looking down below, she was worried about how they were going to get back down, regardless of whether or not they had the waver with them.

Luffy pulled himself up into a seated position and stared at Nami quietly, who was completely unaware of his gaze. Crawling towards her, he placed a soft peck on her right cheek before pulling away, his face slightly flustered from the contact his lips had made.

Nami looked at him curiously and then noticed his cheeks were red. Holding back a giggle, she placed her own lips on his in a chaste kiss. After a few seconds, she pulled away to gauge his reaction and found that his eyes had dilated slightly and that nearly his whole face was red. She found him absolutely adorable.

"What do you wish to start with this?" she asked, hoping he felt the same way she did.

"I want you to be with me," he blurted out, slightly embarrassed by the declaration.

"Of course I'll be with you; I'm your nakama, am I not?"

He shook his head fiercely. "No, that isn't what I meant!"

Nami offered him a slightly amused smile. "Then maybe you should explain yourself clearer."

He released a frustrated sigh, grabbed her hands in his, and looked her straight in the eye. "I want you to be my girl."

Smiling brightly, Nami kissed his nose and replied with a teasing lilt, "See? Now was that so hard?"

Luffy pouted. "Meanie," he grumbled childishly.

Nami laughed boisterously at his response and knew that everything would be all right.


	3. Melodious

**Disclaimer:** I do not own One Piece. It is owned by Oda Eiichiro and whatever other persons/companies involved with its release/production.

**A/N:** All chapters will either be based upon the anime/manga version of the series (pre time-skip and post time-skip) or be AU based. I will be using Japanese for honorifics, professional titles, nicknames, locations, attacks/techniques, naming formats, and also a few various words here and there that do not fit into the listed categories. If you have any questions on what something means, please do not hesitate to ask. Thanks!

**Pre/Post Time-Skip (Anime, Manga, or Animanga) or AU: **Post Time-Skip (Animanga)

**Fair Skies  
**_Chapter Three: Melodious_

She let her fingers slip against the instrument's ivory keys. It had been a few months since she caved in to Brook's request to add a piano to the aquarium room—she haggled her way into a drastic discount that would fit the crew's budget—and to everyone's delight, the skeletal musician had used the instrument nearly non-stop.

Yet, Nami had a secret; one that she would never divulge—she could play the piano. She had begged her foster mother, Bellemere, if she could take lessons. The older woman had been against the idea due their limited income, but she eventually caved and allowed the young girl to partake in the study of one of her passions outside of navigation and cartography.

Sitting on the piano bench, she raised her hands and began to perform a melody she thought she had long forgotten how to play. It was a romantic tune, but melancholy at the same time. Eyes closed, Nami lost herself in the rhythm of the song, completely unaware that there was someone watching her.

Once the piece had ended, her eyes opened to see her captain standing there with a baffled expression. The navigator felt her face light up in a million shades of red; she felt utterly embarrassed.

"Lu-Luffy! What're you doing here?!"

Her captain cocked his head to one side, grinned, and said, "Sounds pretty," before running off to play.

Nami felt like a deer in headlights, but even though her face was red, the smile on her lips was nothing less than gentle. Turning back to her music, she murmured, "Perhaps I'll play more often," before starting up a new tune that reminded her of Luffy.


	4. Segreto

**Disclaimer:** I do not own One Piece. It is owned by Oda Eiichiro and whatever other persons/companies involved with its release/production.

**A/N:** All chapters will either be based upon the anime/manga version of the series (pre time-skip and post time-skip) or be AU based. I will be using Japanese for honorifics, professional titles, nicknames, locations, attacks/techniques, naming formats, and also a few various words here and there that do not fit into the listed categories. If you have any questions on what something means, please do not hesitate to ask. Thanks!

**Pre/Post Time-Skip (Anime, Manga, or Animanga) or AU: **Post Time-Skip (Animanga)

**Fair Skies  
**_Chapter Four: Segreto_

A light breeze passed by as Nami leaned against Sunny's railing at some ungodly hour of the night. She wasn't awake because she couldn't sleep, rather, she wanted to go to bed as soon as possible, but the person she was waiting for was always late for their nightly meetings.

"I'll kick his ass if he doesn't get here soon," Nami muttered in annoyance.

"Whose ass you gonna kick?"

Nami whirled around, all thoughts of ass-kicking lost. "Luffy!"

The radiant smile he was wearing made her heart skip a beat; she was utter and complete putty in his hands.

She smiled brightly as he pulled her into an embrace that was followed by a deep kiss. She hated staying away from him; pretending that they were nothing more than nakama.

Once they pulled away, she lowered her head onto his chest and murmured, "I hate this. I hate keeping things quiet. I hate that this is the only time we can be together like this."

Luffy grunted in agreement, pulling Nami closer to him. "I'm sure no one would mind us being together—wait, scratch that—other than _Sanji_, but I'm sure that even _he_ would get over it after a little while. You _know_ that our crew isn't the problem; it's the Marines."

She nuzzled his chest, inhaling his scent as she sighed. "I know; I _know_ it's dangerous."

"If those bastards find out about us, they'd use you against me at every chance they got!" Luffy growled. "I don't want that; I don't want them coming _near_ you."

She smiled at that; Luffy was very possessive when it came to her as she was with him. Nami leaned up and pecked his lips before whispering, "I love you, but of course, you already knew that."

"Doesn't mean I don't enjoy hearing it," he replied, nuzzling his chin against the top of her head. "Just like you don't mind hearing the same from me."

"Then, let me hear it," she said playfully. "You never say it as often as I do."

Pulling her face towards his, so that their lips were just a breadth hair away from each other, he breathed against them, "I love you," before swooping in for a hungry kiss.

Nami immediately threw her arms around him and kissed him back just as fiercely; she couldn't get enough of him.

Once the pulled apart, they were breathing harshly and their bodies were still tightly bound to one another. "Nami," Luffy began, his voice husky with emotion, "we _will_ be together one day. The day we reach Raftel and I become Kaizoku Ou will be that day; the day we'll shed light upon all our secrets. We're so close, so please hold on a little longer."

"You better believe I'll hold on! You think I want anyone else?" the navigator asked in mock petulance.

His eyes shifted away from hers. "You're so beautiful, Nami. At times I fear that one day some guy who's actually good-looking will steal you away from me. And even when I _do_ become Kaizoku Ou, I'll forever be just plain ol' Luffy."

She wanted to smack him, so that's just what she did. "Hey! What the hell was that for?!" Luffy cried out, rubbing his head.

"You're a moron, you know? To think I would leave you for someone else because of their looks is just plain stupid! I love _you_, you dope! You're the only man in this insane world that can make me weak in the knees! And by the way, who said you're not good-looking?! You are the most handsome man I've ever seen, so I don't ever wanna hear you bad-mouthing yourself again! Are we clear?!" Nami questioned with sharp eyes.

Luffy pulled completely away from her and saluted. "Crystal, ma'am!"

Nami nodded. "Good. Now, come here and kiss me!"

The young captain grinned wolfishly and proved his obedience to his beloved time and time again, until the sun rose. After all, this love, for the time being, can only take flight under the cover of darkness.


	5. He's Got the Look

**Disclaimer:** I do not own One Piece. It is owned by Oda Eiichiro and whatever other persons/companies involved with its release/production.

**A/N:** All chapters will either be based upon the anime/manga version of the series (pre time-skip and post time-skip) or be AU based. I will be using Japanese for honorifics, professional titles, nicknames, locations, attacks/techniques, naming formats, and also a few various words here and there that do not fit into the listed categories. If you have any questions on what something means, please do not hesitate to ask. Thanks!

**Pre/Post Time-Skip (Anime, Manga, or Animanga) or AU: **Post Time-Skip (Animanga)

**Fair Skies  
**_Chapter Five: He's Got the Look_

It was unfair.

Completely and utterly _unfair_.

Lying back in her lounge chair, Nami observed her captain as he removed his cardigan and stretched his arms upwards, which caused his shorts to slip a little and the red-haired navigator to lick her lips at the display. Yet, Luffy being shirtless wasn't the issue that was infuriating her. Perched upon the young man's nose was a pair of black, wire-framed reading glasses that—in Nami's own biased opinion—not only made him look _sexier_, but _intelligent_, too.

"Hmm, and what, may I ask, has caught your interest so keenly that you have to stare at it so _intensely_?" a voice beside her asked.

Nami blushed at the insinuation. "I-I have _no idea_ what you're talking about, Robin."

The older woman smiled mysteriously. "Could it be the captain's newly acquired accessory? I must say that they can invoke many a naughty fantasy. Wouldn't you agree, Nami?"

The red-head really wanted to laugh at the idea of Luffy invoking any sort of fantasy, but found that she couldn't, so instead, she opted to snort at Robin's inquiry. "Surely you jest, Robin. Luffy's nineteen and his libido is infantile at best, regardless of _what_ he looks like. You could give the boy written instructions on how to enact a woman's fantasy of him, but all that would do would make his poor brain explode. Trust me when I say that Luffy is not sexual in any way, shape, or form."

The historian merely smiled. "If you say so, Nami."

%%%%%

A little while later, Nami was about to retire to the girls' quarters for a nap and then and evening of map making; Robin herself had left her side about an hour back.

Before the navigator could even pull herself up from her lounge chair, two rubbery hands steeled her in place. Eyes wide, she found her staring back into Luffy's own dark gaze.

"I know."

She suddenly felt nervous. "Know what?"

"I know you were watching me."

Nami licked her lips and swallowed. "I-I don't-"

Luffy flashed a bright grin at her. "You can't say you don't know what I'm talking about, Nami. Even though I couldn't see you, I could feel your eyes on me."

The red-head blushed deeply. "H-How did you-"

Her question was cut off by a mere word, "Haki."

Nami felt embarrassed by the fact that she forgot that he could use that ability, but also because she was caught staring at him and that he'd probably want to know _why_.

"So, why'd ya do it?"

If Nami hadn't been pinned down by her captain so forcibly, she would've knocked him one and bolted, but that did not seem to be an option the navigator would have any time soon.

"What's it matter, anyway?" the woman huffed. "I'm sure other women have stared at you before!"

Luffy blinked. "True, but it's never been _you_, so I'm really curious!"

Nami bared her fangs. "And you're gonna keep on being curious, cuz once I get outta this chair, you're toast, mister!" she barked.

Luffy pouted. "Aww! But I wanted to know!" he whined.

Nami smirked. "Tough. Now, let me _go_!"

But Luffy did no such thing. Instead, the rubber man's face zeroed in Nami's panicking one until they were less than a few inches away from each other.

"What the hell are you doing?!" she hissed angrily, trying desperately to tear herself away from his grip.

"Ya know," Luffy began, peering closely at Nami's face, "you're even prettier this up close! Shishishi!"

She was certain that her face probably resembled an apple at that moment, but she really didn't care. "You damn idiot! Don't spout crap like that! You probably don't even have a clue as to what any of it me-"

The young captain effectively cut off his ranting navigator by pressing his mouth onto hers, even though he could still hear her protests against his lips.

Yet, slowly, but surely, Nami quieted down and kissed him back as well. After a few more seconds, Luffy parted from her and smiled widely. "Shishishi! You ready to tell me _now_?"

Nami chuckled softly. _Sneaky bastard._

"Your glasses."

Luffy seemed befuddled. "What about them?"

Nami turned her head away so that their eyes wouldn't meet. "I like them... on _you_, specifically."

Luffy's face turned a bit pink, but he smiled anyway. "And why couldn't you tell me that?"

Nami gaped at him. "Because it's embarrassing!"

"Why?"

She gritted her teeth. "Because it is!"

"I don't get it."

Nami groaned. "You _never_ do." The navigator then realized she was still being held down. "Luffy, your hands... remove them from my wrists."

He grinned sheepishly before doing just that. "Sorry, Nami... forgot they were there!"

She rolled her eyes, but let it go; Nami knew that Luffy would never lie about something like that.

Nami rose up from her lounge chair, but the moment she was on her feet, she felt herself being pulled into a hard chest. Looking up, she saw Luffy holding her to him, their bodies flushed against each other. Nami felt her hands move against the smooth, hard planes of his chest and almost swooned.

"Nami."

Before the navigator could even open her mouth, Luffy's own had swooped down to meet hers in a passionate kiss.

Nami moved her hands onto his shoulders, while Luffy twined his hands into her wild locks. The young captain's tongue pried the red-head's lips open and her tongue met his eagerly with a deep, but muffled moan.

Luffy's brain was on auto-pilot as his hands moved from her hair all the way down to her hips and ground into them, while nibbling on Nami's lower lip.

She couldn't think—her mind was a complete blank. All that her mind _could_ process were the feelings Luffy was arousing in her as he moved his hands to her ass and pushed her hips further into his.

Their lips finally parted for air, a small string of saliva connecting their tongues. Nami ran her tongue over her raw, red lips and Luffy's eyes dilated with desire.

Remembering her conversation with Robin, she took everything back about Luffy's libido; he had proven to be quite the healthy nineteen year old, after all.

"I like doing this with you," Luffy declared, his voice husky with need and something unidentifiable.

Nami shivered; the tone of his voice was giving her goose bumps. She pressed her forehead against his and breathed in his salty scent, while stating, "I like doing this with you, too." She traced the frames of his glasses, pecked his lips, and said, "You look really hot in these."

"Ah, so that's why you like my glasses. You think they make me look sexy!"

Nami buried her newly red face into his chest, embarrassed once again. "Oh, shut up."

"Shishishi!"


	6. Savior

**Disclaimer:** I do not own One Piece. It is owned by Oda Eiichiro and whatever other persons/companies involved with its release/production.

**A/N:** All chapters will either be based upon the anime/manga version of the series (pre time-skip and post time-skip) or be AU based. I will be using Japanese for honorifics, professional titles, nicknames, locations, attacks/techniques, naming formats, and also a few various words here and there that do not fit into the listed categories. If you have any questions on what something means, please do not hesitate to ask. Thanks!

**Pre/Post Time-Skip (Anime, Manga, or Animanga) or AU: **Post Time-Skip (Animanga)

**Fair Skies  
**_Chapter Six: Savior_

"This is serious. No one onboard has C-type blood and we're too far away from the nearest island to wait for a donor."

All the members of the Mugiwara-ichimi were grim. Their navigator, Nami, had a severe case of anemia and if she didn't have a blood transfusion soon, she could very well die.

"Chopper," Sanji began, eyes marred with sadness, "are _any_ of our blood types compatible? Even remotely?"

Chopper sighed. "I wish that was the case, but Nami's blood can only receive from a C-type or a universal donor."

"And what blood type would be considered a universal donor?" Robin asked, the trepidation she was feeling was hidden, but not as well as she would've liked.

"The F-type blood is universal, but I don't remember any of us having that blood type," Chopper stated miserably.

Suddenly, Robin's face lit up with a smile. "Chopper, remember on Fishman Island when we had to give Luffy a blood transfusion after he defeated Hody Jones?"

Chopper nodded. "Yes, but what does that... have to do... with..." The doctor's eyes widened. "That's right! Luffy's blood type is F! Robin, you stay here with me, so we can monitor Nami. Sanji, Zoro, please go find Luffy and tell him we have a way of saving Nami!"

The duo wasted no time in leaving the infirmary to locate their more than likely moping captain.

%%%%%

They found Luffy lying comfortably in his bunk, hat covering most of his face. Needless to say, the cook was _pissed_.

"You shitty _bastard_! How can you be so _relaxed_, while Nami-san is fighting for her life?!" Sanji shouted, rage emanating through his every pore.

Zoro stopped him before he could beat their captain. "Hey, Ero-cook, calm your ass _down_ and take a closer look at him."

Sanji sneered, but as Zoro requested and peered down at the captain. At first, there was nothing out of the ordinary until he began to hear faint, but harsh, breathing. Hesitantly, he moved Luffy's hat to one side, his eyes widening when he saw tears dripping from his closed eyes and streaking down his cheeks. Placing the hat back where it was, the cook suddenly felt like a total heel.

"Remember how Luffy was when Nami was sick the first time around? He never shed one tear and was the face of determination, _but_ ever since _that_ happened, his will to protect his nakama had become stronger than ever. Now that Nami is sick again, it's possible that our captain may feel like he's failed to protect her, even though there was nothing he could've done to prevent it," Zoro stated as he glanced over at Luffy whose breathing had stilled a bit, even though it was still somewhat ragged.

"So," Sanji began, lighting up a cigarette, "who's gonna wake up Sleeping Beauty?"

%%%%%

"Dammit! Nami's stats are dropping faster than I originally anticipated! If those two don't get over here with Luffy soon, Nami's chances will be slim to nil!" Chopper shouted frantically as he placed a cool, wet cloth over the navigator's flushed forehead.

Robin felt sick to her stomach; she hardly every felt fear, but the significant chance of losing her good friend—one she saw as a sister—terrified her. Placing a hand over her eyes, she stifled the tears that were threatening to fall.

As soon as Chopper was able to get Nami somewhat stabilized, a flurry of red and straw had sped by him and was nestled next to the navigator's bedside; Chopper felt utterly relieved.

"Luffy! There's no time to waste! Give me your right arm and we'll begin the procedure," Chopper explained as he prepared the transfusion equipment.

The young captain remained silent throughout the entirety of the session, his eyes trained upon the nearly lifeless form of his usually vivacious navigator.

He had sworn long ago that he would never take her smile away and he'd be damned if he started at that very moment.

Midway through the transfusion, Luffy began to feel drowsy, thus nodding off in the chair he was seated on. He did not hear Chopper and Robin's voices calling out to him.

%%%%%

A few hours later, Luffy awoke to find himself lying in a cot right next to the infirmary bed that Nami was still lying in. Luffy sat up and saw that Chopper was grinning at him.

"Everything's gonna be all right."

Luffy sighed in relief and then flopped back down into a lying position on the cot. Looking to his left, he saw Nami's right hand dangling to one side of the bed, so Luffy grabbed it and squeezed it gently. It was at that moment Luffy could've sworn that he saw a faint smile upon Nami's lips.

Closing his eyes, he smiled contently and squeezed her hand a little tighter. Luffy knew then that his doubts had been in vain; he _hadn't_ failed her.


	7. Beloved Nuisance

**Disclaimer:** I do not own One Piece. It is owned by Oda Eiichiro and whatever other persons/companies involved with its release/production.

**A/N:** All chapters will either be based upon the anime/manga version of the series (pre time-skip and post time-skip) or be AU based. I will be using Japanese for honorifics, professional titles, nicknames, locations, attacks/techniques, naming formats, and also a few various words here and there that do not fit into the listed categories. If you have any questions on what something means, please do not hesitate to ask. Thanks!

**Pre/Post Time-Skip (Anime, Manga, or Animanga) or AU: **Post Time-Skip (Animanga)

**Fair Skies  
**_Chapter Seven: Beloved Nuisance_

She had to do something about it. It was getting long... _way_ too long. Nami fingered the bright, wavy locks that had grown past her waist and sighed.

"Perhaps I should get a haircut. It's gotten past the point of manageable," Nami murmured as she pulled her hair up into a ponytail.

Exiting the girls' quarters, she lifted up her arms to stretch them out. She had been indoors far too long, so fresh air and a visit to a beauty parlor were in order.

"Robin! You wanna come with me?" Nami called out to her friend who had been sitting quietly in her lounge chair reading a book.

Setting her book down in her lap, Robin looked at Nami with a curious smile. "And where are you headed today?"

She pointed a thumb at the town they were docked at. "Beauty parlor; hair needs a good chopping. I may do some window shopping afterwards."

"No."

Startled by the intervention, both women turned their heads in the direction the voice came from to find their captain with his arms crossed over his chest and a deep frown on his face.

Nami's right eyebrow rose. "What're you saying no to?"

"You can't get your hair cut and that's an order."

The red-haired navigator gaped at him. "What the HELL?!"

Luffy titled his chin up in a manner he _hoped_ was intimidating. "You heard me."

Usopp, who'd been observing the entire exchange, swallowed hard when he noticed Nami's lips perk up into a sickly sweet smile. He mumbled a quick prayer for his captain before bolting to higher ground, since he _knew_ that the smile on Nami's face meant that Luffy was in some very deep shit.

Robin, on the other hand, was amused with the dispute that arisen due to Luffy's never ending lack of delicacy and big mouth. What she found fascinating was that Luffy tended to get himself into trouble more often with their navigator than anybody else on the ship.

Nami cracked her knuckles, smile still in place. "Could you repeat that, Luffy? I don't think I heard you properly."

Not noticing the red-head's underlying warning, Luffy nodded and repeated, "You can't get your hair cut and that's an order."

Nami's smile immediately switched to a deadly smirk. "That's all I wanted to know."

%%%%%

A few moments later, Nami was stalking off the ship, Robin in tow, all the while leaving a bruised and bloodied Luffy in her wake.

"I can't _believe_ he said that!" Nami fumed. "That's the _last_ thing I would _ever_ hear him make an order about!"

"Perhaps he likes your hair? It could explain why he was so adamant," the historian reasoned.

Nami snorted loudly. "That'll be the day. What's next? A _marriage_ proposal?! Don't be ridiculous, Robin. Luffy and romance just don't mesh."

The older woman just shrugged. "If you say so."

%%%%%

"You _really_ should've known better."

Luffy pouted; being gullible was one of the captain's major faults—he was much too trusting.

Usopp sighed. "Didn't you notice Nami's smile? She's a landmine waiting to explode when she smiles like that! You, Luffy, are _way_ too naïve!"

The captain grumbled at his friend's words because he knew they were true. "I just wanted to stop Nami from getting her hair cut, that's all."

"And why would you wanna stop her from doing that? She may be having a hard time taking care of it," Usopp stated, confused by the way his captain was behaving.

Luffy scratched the back of his head, his cheeks a bit pinker than before. "It's just that... I really, _really_ like her hair _long_. I think she looks even _prettier_ like that and I don't want her to get her hair cut to where it was two years ago."

Usopp blinked at the young captain's confession. "Hey, Luffy, you _do_ just realize that you confessed to liking Nami, right?

Luffy's eyes widening was followed by a fierce blush that covered both cheeks and the bridge of his nose. "You won't tell her, _right_?!"

Usopp rolled his eyes. "Like she'd believe me, anyway. Besides, telling her is _your_ job, not _mine_."

Lowering his eyes, Luffy nodded in agreement. "If I can help it, though, I won't tell her until I become Kaizoku Ou. I don't want her getting into more danger because of the relationship we might start up." He sighed. "But who's to say that she'll even like me back?"

Usopp slapped a hand on Luffy's right shoulder. "I know you like her and there might be a chance that she likes you back, but if you wait too long, someone else may end up snatching her up. Just a heads up, since a lot of guys like Nami."

Luffy's eyes hardened. "I know that; you don't need to tell me."

"Then do the right thing," the long-nosed sharpshooter said before leaving his friend to his thoughts.

%%%%%

Two hours later, Robin and Nami returned to the ship, shopping bags dangling from their hands. Nami ran a hand through her hair and sighed contently—it wasn't drastically shorter, but it was slightly above her waist, which made it easier to take care of.

Both women made a pit stop to the girls' quarters to drop off their things and then Robin went off to take a bath, while Nami went to search for her captain.

"Luffy!" the navigator called out. "I'm not mad anymore, so you can come out now!"

The only thing that greeted her was silence. Nami sighed and tried again.

"I promise not to hit you, so please come out?"

She then felt arms wrap around her torso, which almost caused her to shriek, but then she saw who those arms belonged to.

"Luffy, what're you doing?" she asked, her voice a bit shaky.

"Something I hope I won't regret later on," he replied, his breaths fanning over her neck, causing her to shiver.

"And what would that be?" She really wanted to hit him—he was turning her knees to jelly! And yet, she found that she couldn't, since she liked the warmth of his chest against her back a bit _too_ much.

"First off, I'm sorry for earlier; I was being an ass. Your hair is yours and you should be able to do whatever you want with it. I just really like your hair, Nami, and I like seeing it grow," Luffy admitted, while burying his face into the soft crook of her neck.

"I didn't cut it very short, Luffy. It's still long enough," Nami said softly. She felt a hand move down the length of her hair to where it ended.

Luffy closed his eyes, while tightening his grip on the navigator. "Yeah, I see that, but it's not it _my_ business if you decide to cut it shorter, later on."

Nami smiled at his words. _Perhaps, in some small way, he's matured._

"It may not be your business, but I'm glad you like it. I honestly believed that you didn't want me to get it cut due to a childish whim, but thankfully, I was wrong," Nami said, placing her hands on the ones wrapped at her midsection.

"But, Nami, that's not all I wanted to tell you."

Her eyebrows rose. "Oh?"

Feeling him place a kiss on the side of her neck that his nose was buried into, Nami squeaked in surprise and Luffy chuckle in return.

"You can be really cute when you want to," Luffy said, voice husky and somewhat amused.

Nami felt ire begin to rise in her again. "Why did that sound more like an insult than a compliment?"

Placing his chin onto her right shoulder, he snickered at how touchy she could get. "Shishishi, don't worry, Nami, it was anything but an insult."

"Then, what was this other thing you wanted to tell me?" she asked, impatience beginning to set in.

"I like you." He heard her inhale sharply. "A _lot_."

She immediately stiffened in his embrace once those words had left his lips. Her cheeks flushed rouge, but before she was even able to open her mouth to reply, Luffy said, "I was afraid to tell you."

"Why were you afraid?" she asked, her voice husky with emotion.

"Because if I start a relationship with you now, it could make you a target to weaken me. You would face much more danger than you do right now and I _don't_ wanna see that happen," he said as began to loosen his hold on her. "But I _doubt_ you wanna have anything to do with me, anyway; I'll always be happy to keep you as _just_ my nakama."

Once Nami was fully released from her captain's embrace, she turned to face a Luffy who held a weak smile and sorrowful eyes that broke her heart. The navigator then made up her mind; she would tell Luffy how she felt about him.

"You're wrong, Luffy," she stated, holding his hands in hers, "I want everything to do with you, regardless of any dangers that may come my way."

Luffy swallowed hard. "Then, Nami, how about we do this—we keep our relationship a secret? Usopp already knows I like you, though, so keeping it from him would be impossible."

"Same thing with Robin," Nami added. "That woman knows everything."

"So, you sure you wanna start this?" Luffy asked, his heart rate accelerating.

"Yes," she began softly, "of course I am."

She pressed her mouth to his in a short, sweet kiss and before he had a chance to reciprocate, she pulled away. He nearly whined at the loss of her lips, but when he noticed how her locks were glowing beneath the setting sun, he inhaled deeply, grabbed a few strands, and pressed his lips to them.

"You really like my hair a whole lot if you wanna kiss it," Nami said with a somewhat amused smile.

He grinned. "I _do_ like your hair, Nami, but nowhere near as much as I like _you_."

She blushed, but grinned back all the same. "You're sweet, but what I _really_ want is for your lips to be on mine, right now."

"Yes, ma'am," he growled before pulling her into a passionate kiss.

%%%%%

Sanji had been leaning against one side of the ship, completely out of earshot from the lovebirds, but close enough for him to see what was going on.

At first, he wanted to storm over there, demand what was going on, and possibly give Luffy a good beating. Yet, he held back when he saw that Nami was reciprocating the actions of their captain, which, in turn, gave him a broken heart, but happy that the red-haired navigator would be with the one she cared for the most.

"Spying on them, are we?"

Sanji nearly jumped at the accusation, but when he saw where it came from, he relaxed.

"Robin-chan, you knew, didn't you?"

She smiled. "Let's just say that my powers can be very convenient at times."

Not bothering to question what that statement implicated, he grinned at her and then turned his gaze to the still embracing two. He sighed once before leaving to make dinner.

"You wouldn't try anything to break them apart, would you?"

A little perturbed by Robin's question, he answered, "Never—it would make Nami-san sad if I did."

Robin listened to his footsteps leave the area until she was the only left. She glanced over at Luffy and Nami who were giving each other silly smiles, which made her almost giggle at the sight.

The historian moved away to leave the lovers be as they shared one final kiss before the sun set completely.


	8. Music, Map of the Heart

**Disclaimer:** I do not own One Piece. It is owned by Oda Eiichiro and whatever other persons/companies involved with its release/production.

**A/N:** All chapters will either be based upon the anime/manga version of the series (pre time-skip and post time-skip) or be AU based. I will be using Japanese for honorifics, professional titles, nicknames, locations, attacks/techniques, naming formats, and also a few various words here and there that do not fit into the listed categories. If you have any questions on what something means, please do not hesitate to ask. Thanks!

**Pre/Post Time-Skip (Anime, Manga, or Animanga) or AU: **Post Time-Skip (Animanga)

**Fair Skies  
**_Chapter Eight: Music, Map of the Heart_

She stared at the music box in her hands.

It was eerie; much _too_ eerie.

She had opened and closed the trinket several times, but the melody always came out the same.

It was a melody that she knew the like the back of her own hand; a melody she _knew_ should be impossible for her to know... but she did.

The shop keeper had told her that the music box's melody was well-known _only_ throughout the expanse of the New World. No one who was born outside of the New World _should_ know that melody.

Nami had always taken for granted that she never really knew her _true_ heritage, but she'd always thought that it didn't matter. Taking another look down at the box, she began to think that maybe it did.

"Hey, Nami, what's that?"

Startled from her thoughts, she found Luffy staring down at her with a grin. She gritted her teeth and snarled, "What the hell are you doing in here?! You're not supposed to come in here without knocking first!"

He looked confused. "I _did_ knock, but since you didn't answer, I thought something was wrong, so I came in to see."

She grumbled a bit, but didn't reply because his logic actually made _sense_.

Luffy plopped to the bed next to Nami and peered at the object in her hands. "So, what is that thing you're holding? Does it have candy in it or somethin'?"

Nami sweat-dropped. She should've known that his brain would think of food _first_. "No, Luffy, it's a music box."

He frowned and then perked up. "What kind of music does it play?" he asked giddily, attempting to eye all four corners of it. "Is it pirate music like the kind Brook plays?"

She blinked. "I-I really don't know. I don't think so, though; it sounded more like a lullaby."

"Lullaby? You mean that kinda music that puts kids to sleep?"

"Well, that's generally what it's used for, but not always. Some people just _like_ that style of music," Nami replied, right hand tracing the lid of the box.

"I wanna hear it," Luffy said, eyes glowing childishly. "Does it sound nice?"

Nami smiled softly. "It does. It's a melody I remembering hearing a long time ago, but to be honest, I don't even remember when."

Luffy smiled at her words. "That's ok! I remember someone telling me that it's not nice to hit girls, but I can't remember who it was!"

Nami laughed. "Like you've held that up! You've hit girls before—Vivi comes to mind!"

He frowned deeply. "I never promised not to do it, though—I always keep my promises, you know that! And besides, Vivi hit me first!"

She snorted. "I always hit you, but you _never_ hit me back. Makes me wonder why..."

"You're nakama."

Nami rolled her eyes. "And so is Vivi."

Luffy looked away from her gaze. "You're... oh, I dunno... special... I guess."

The navigator really wanted to investigate that answer further, but decided to put it off for the time being. "Whatever you say, Luffy."

Nami opened the music box and a sweet, gentle melody began to flow through the space of the girls' quarters. Luffy closed his eyes and began swaying to the soft beat.

"This is nice," Luffy remarked, continuing to sway. "I really like it."

"Yeah," Nami began as her own eyes drifted shut, as well, "I do, too."

After the piece had finished, Luffy opened his eyes and glanced over Nami who still had her eyes closed. Assuming that she had fallen asleep, Luffy moved in and pressed his mouth chastely to hers before pulling away almost immediately and leaving the room as quickly as he could. After all, he didn't want to suffer Nami's wrath once she woke up.

Once he was gone, Nami's own eyes opened and she blushed lightly as she fingered the lips that Luffy had kissed.

Never again would she question why he never hit her, but she sure would continue to question her heritage.

Cradling the music box to her chest, she hoped she could get Robin to help her unlock the first clue to her mysterious origins.


	9. Encounters of the Sexy Kind

**Disclaimer:** I do not own One Piece. It is owned by Oda Eiichiro and whatever other persons/companies involved with its release/production.

**A/N:** All chapters will either be based upon the anime/manga version of the series (pre time-skip and post time-skip) or be AU based. I will be using Japanese for honorifics, professional titles, nicknames, locations, attacks/techniques, naming formats, and also a few various words here and there that do not fit into the listed categories. If you have any questions on what something means, please do not hesitate to ask. Thanks!

**Pre/Post Time-Skip (Anime, Manga, or Animanga) or AU: **AU

**Fair Skies  
**_Chapter Nine: Encounters of the Sexy Kind_

He officially wanted to kill Zoro and Sanji. They'd brought him to an end of school year party that Vivi was hosting, which was congested with many future high school third years.

Luffy groaned and took a sip of punch from his cup. He wrinkled his nose at the taste and then determined the drink to be spiked. Really, though, he didn't care. He'd gotten wasted enough times to know his limit.

He soon felt someone tugging on his right sleeve. He rolled his eyes, set his drink down, and asked, "The hell do you want _now_, Zoro?

When he turned to face who he thought was his friend, he found himself looking into a pair of bewildered hazel eyes that were accompanied by the prettiest face he'd ever seen.

His eyes widened and then blushed in embarrassment at his mistake. "S-Sorry! Thought you were someone else!"

The girl pulled her hand away from his shirt and shook her head. "No, it's _my_ fault for startling you. I just wanted to introduce myself." Her face grew a bit pink in color. "You're really cute, so I thought to-"

"Wait!" Luffy interrupted, a bit baffled. "You think _I'm_ cute?"

She blinked at him. "Well, yes..."

"Have you _seen_ the other guys in this room? I'm probably on the low end of the totem pole and a beautiful girl like yourself can do much better!" Luffy exclaimed, not understanding why she would pick _him_ over other guys.

She blushed prettily at being called beautiful, but pouted indignantly at what he said about himself. "Hey, now! Are you telling me that I have bad taste men? That's not really cool, you know!"

Flustered and _completely_ taken aback by her outburst, he blurted, "N-No! Of course not! Th-That's _not_ what I meant!"

The young woman smirked sexily and flushed her body right up against Luffy causing the poor boy's face to turn a fabulous shade of tomato red. "Then what did you mean... _hot stuff_?"

Her body was too close and curvy for comfort, plus her hot voice breathing in his ear like that was _almost_ the cause of a most embarrassing accident. Yet, another problem would hash itself up shortly if the red-haired girl didn't move away from him—he really did _not_ want her to feel his _little_ problem.

To his resounding relief, she moved away from, smirk still in place. He caught his breath quickly and asked, "Name—what's your name?"

The girl's smirk turned to a sweet smile as she extended her right hand to him. "Nami. And you?"

He took her hand in his own right one, pulled to his lips, and kissed it. "Luffy. You wanna dance?"

Nami grinned. "With you? Always!"

Luffy grinned back at her as they headed towards the dance floor.


	10. Guardian Angel

**Disclaimer:** I do not own One Piece. It is owned by Oda Eiichiro and whatever other persons/companies involved with its release/production.

**A/N:** All chapters will either be based upon the anime/manga version of the series (pre time-skip and post time-skip) or be AU based. I will be using Japanese for honorifics, professional titles, nicknames, locations, attacks/techniques, naming formats, and also a few various words here and there that do not fit into the listed categories. If you have any questions on what something means, please do not hesitate to ask. Thanks!

**Pre/Post Time-Skip (Anime, Manga, or Animanga) or AU: **Post Time-Skip (Animanga)

**Fair Skies  
**_Chapter Ten: Guardian Angel_

It all happened so fast.

The Marines _knew_ that Luffy wasn't invulnerable to kairoseki bullets, so one of them, while the captain of the Mugiwara-ichimi had lowered his guard, had shot one of those bullets, so it would reach him right in his spine and kill him.

Nami, who had been observing the entire scene from her own fight with the Marines, knocked one Marine out with her Sorcery Climatact and then sped as fast as she could to intercept the bullet.

What happened next would be engraved in Luffy's mind for as long as he lived.

When the captain had finally turned around to face the danger that should've come his way, he found his fearless navigator flying backwards onto his back and shoulders. Once he was effectively knocked to his feet, he sat up and rolled Nami over to see something he never wanted to see again... especially not since Ace.

She'd taken the bullet for him, right in her chest. He couldn't stop the hot tears from falling down his cheeks, but he could beat the crap out of the one who did that to her. Pulling himself off of the deck, he called out to Chopper who went over to them immediately. Once the doctor had arrived, he stared in shock at what was laid before him, but then pulled himself together and did all he could to maneuver around the fighting that was occurring on the ship in order to get her to the infirmary.

Luffy's eyes were still dripping with tears, but those tears didn't matter anymore. Chopper was going to save Nami and he would kick that bastard's ass. Immediately, he'd located the Marine who had the rifle and bullets that could effectively kill an Akuma no Mi user, so in a fit of rage he knocked out all of the Marines that attempted to attack him with a short burst of Haoshoku Haki and then catapulted himself right in front of that Marine who had begun cowering before him.

Before giving the Marine the beat down of a lifetime, he picked up the man's rifle and crushed it in his right fist before dropping it onto the deck. Luffy looked down at the man who'd injured Nami and glowered at him.

"I'm gonna show you what happens to people who hurt my nakama," he said coldly.

The Marine had no time to get away and began to scream like a little girl from every blow Luffy landed on him.

%%%%%

Sometime later, once all the Marines were off their ship and beaten to a pulp, Robin was inside the infirmary with Chopper, all the while assisting him with an emergency surgical procedure.

The rest of the crew was waiting outside for some sort of news. Luffy was particularly impatient; after all, it was _his_ life she'd saved.

He could hear, in all his annoyance, Sanji blubbering over the situation and Zoro telling him to shut up. He _really_ wanted to knock them both out for disturbing everyone else, but didn't since it would've caused more problems.

A few more minutes passed, each minute feeling like an eternity, the door to the infirmary opened and out came Chopper who looked like he was about to pass out from exhaustion. The crew wasted no time, however, to gather towards him to hear his prognosis of Nami's state.

"The bullet missed any vital point, but just barely. We were able to get the bullet out and Nami is no longer in any danger, _but_ she is currently resting, so no visitors for the time being," Chopper said firmly.

Robin herself was just exiting the infirmary as Luffy attempted to make his way to enter it, but Chopper got to him before he could do anything.

"Hey, Luffy, don't know if you heard, but you can't go in there right now!"

Luffy mumbled something indiscernible, which had Chopper frowning. "Sorry, Luffy, I didn't catch that."

"My fault," he said quietly.

Chopper blinked. "Eh?"

Luffy breathed harshly. "If I hadn't lowered my guard, if I'd _known_ what was coming, I could've prevented this from happening. It's because of my carelessness that this happened to Nami, no one else's."

The young doctor sighed. "I understand that, Luffy—I understand that you feel guilty, but for the time being we really need to let her rest. If she's feeling up to it later, I'll let you see her."

The dark-haired captain sighed, but knew Chopper was right. Even though he really wanted to see her right then, he held back and slowly stepped away from the infirmary's door.

Zoro, who'd been holding on to a raving Sanji, released the cook who then straightened himself up and made his way over to Luffy.

Usopp attempted to warn the captain, "Hey, Luffy! Watch-" but it was too late.

Sanji had lifted his right leg and pummeled his captain with it. "Sanji, what are you _doing_?!" Usopp shouted.

"Just your fault, ha?! Playing martyr aren't we, eh, Luffy?!" Sanji posed to make one final blow to the captain, but Luffy blocked the leg from hitting him that last time. He raised his eyes to meet Sanji's and what Sanji was met with were furious, yet sorrowful eyes.

"If you don't think it's _my_ fault, then... _whose_ fault is it, then?!" Luffy barked at the blond-haired cook. "If she hadn't protected me, while I was being distracted, none of this would've happened and you _know_ it!"

"Usually I would say that you're right and let it be, but _this_ time, it wasn't _just_ your fault—it was also the rest of the crew's. Luffy, all of us were near enough to get to you if necessary, but all of us _except_ Nami-san didn't think you would be gullible enough to lower your guard so much in such an open area. We thought that if anything were to happen that you'd be able to take care of it on your own like you always do, but we wrong in assuming that. Nami-san taught us a valuable lesson today by protecting you the way she did, so I don't want you thinking that you have take the burden of what Nami-san's going through on your own—we're all nakama and we all care about her _and_ you," Sanji finished with a drag of his cigarette.

Luffy stared at him wide-eyed, all the while wiping blood from off his chin and nose. "Sanji..."

"Ero-cook's right on the money this time, Luffy, and you _know_ that I never agree with him about _anything_," Zoro added, leaning against the wall next to the infirmary door.

"Please listen to Sanji, Luffy," Robin said with a small smile. "We _all_ agree with him."

The rest of the crew nodded their assent to Robin's words. Luffy stared at the floorboards momentarily before lifting himself up. "Chopper, I'll be back later to check on her. Everyone else... thanks for knocking some sense into me. I really needed that." He left the area of the infirmary and bounded off to the figurehead to think.

"Do you think Luffy-san understood," Brook questioned as they all watched him leave.

"Possibly," Robin replied. "We'll just have to see how he handles his confrontation with Nami later."

%%%%%

Evening had come and Chopper was allowing visitors for the newly woken Nami. Of course, the first visit was from none other than the captain himself.

"Luffy!" Nami chirped brightly. "So glad to see you're ok! But, you know, you owe me 500,000 beli for that rescuing stint I pulled! Really, you can be so careless-"

Nami was promptly cut off by a powerful hug from Luffy. Rendered nearly speechless, all she could get out was his name, "Luffy..."

Burying his nose into her neck, he tightened his hold around her. "Thank you and sorry—we're so sorry," Luffy stated, voice full of overwhelming emotion.

Nami, understanding what he was implying, wrapped her arms around him and moved one hand up and down his back in a soothing motion. She soon felt wetness and harsh breaths against her neck, which had her heart pounding rapidly.

"Shh," she murmured. "Shh... it'll all be ok. I'll be better soon and then we'll be able to go on more of those adventures you love so much."

"Nami?"

She looked down at the top of his head curiously. "Hmm?"

"Thank you."

She smiled gently, even though it was the second time he'd said it, and replied, "You're welcome, Luffy. You're welcome."


	11. Wounded Hearts

**Disclaimer:** I do not own One Piece. It is owned by Oda Eiichiro and whatever other persons/companies involved with its release/production.

**A/N:** All chapters will either be based upon the anime/manga version of the series (pre time-skip and post time-skip) or be AU based. I will be using Japanese for honorifics, professional titles, nicknames, locations, attacks/techniques, naming formats, and also a few various words here and there that do not fit into the listed categories. If you have any questions on what something means, please do not hesitate to ask. Thanks!

**Pre/Post Time-Skip (Anime, Manga, or Animanga) or AU: **Post Time-Skip (Animanga)

**Fair Skies  
**_Chapter Eleven: Wounded Hearts_

She ran her fingers over the vast expanse of his chest and then stopped to trace the x-shaped burn mark in the middle. He'd never told the crew how he got it, so everyone was still curious, but kept quiet about it.

Nami sighed and then placed a soft kiss in the middle of scar. It had been quite a long time, since he'd acquired that scar—more than three years at that point. Yet, any memory about his brother remained taboo—even to _her_.

They were married, albeit illegally, but he was her husband nonetheless and she was two months pregnant with their first child. She loved everything and all that he was—scars included—but it didn't stop him from closing himself off whenever she wanted to talk about Ace.

She knew that he loved her, without a shred of doubt. Yet, there were times when she felt like he loved Ace's memory more than he loved her. She felt silly and ashamed that she was jealous of a memory, but there were times, she hated to admit, that she was and it killed her a little each time inside _when_ she was.

She felt Luffy stir in their bed, a sign that he was awakening. Nami began to make her way out of the bed before he could fully wake up, but she was stopped by a hand on her right wrist. She looked down and found Luffy staring at her.

"Sorry," she whispered, "did I wake you?"

He shook his head. "Been awake for a little while now. We reach Raftel tomorrow, yes?"

She nodded. "By tomorrow evening we should be there. I'll go get Sanji-kun to make us some breakfast."

She tried to leave the bed again, but once more held down by Luffy's hand. Curious, she asked, "Aren't you hungry?"

"You're sad, aren't you, Nami?"

She blinked. "What are you talking about?! Silly man, of course I'm not sad! Why would you even think so?"

"Your eyes—they show me that you were thinking about something that made you sad. Won't you tell me what it is, so I can make you feel better?" Luffy asked gently, moving his hand from her wrist to her hand and squeezing it lightly.

She lowered her eyes. "I doubt that even _you_ could make _this_ pain go away."

He furrowed his brow. "What do you mean?"

She smiled weakly at him. "Don't worry too much about it. I'll deal with it myself. I guess I'm just a bit hormonal due to the pregnancy."

Leaving his side of the bed, Luffy made his way over to where Nami was seated, knelt down, and placed a hand over her abdomen. "It's around here, right? Why can't I feel anything, though?"

She giggled at his petulant pout. "Oh, Luffy, you're not going to feel anything for a little while now. The baby's still developing, so you might start seeing something in maybe two to three more months."

"But that's too long!" he whined.

She smirked. "Patience is a virtue, but unfortunately you have none, huh?"

"I can be patient!" Luffy retorted indignantly.

"Mmhm, I'd love to see you try," Nami taunted teasingly.

"All right, then! Until I see a bump on your stomach, I promise not to check it for baby kicks!" Luffy declared, puffing out his chest.

"I'll... hold you... to that..." Nami wheezed out as she attempted to hold in her laughter. Her husband, darling as he was, could border on the deep end of the ridiculous sometimes.

Luffy grinned at her. "You're happy again; that's good!"

Nami froze and blushed. He was right; all the sadness she'd felt before, while he'd been sleeping had completely vanished. It was really unfair that Luffy was always able to make her forget all of her negative thoughts and make them into positive ones.

"Sh-Shut up! Let's go eat breakfast; that noisy stomach of yours is pissing me off!" Nami bit out in annoyance.

Used to her mood swings, Luffy just chuckled. "Shishishi!"

Nami huffed. "You're an impossible man. You're lucky that I love you as much as I do cuz if I didn't, you'd currently be in a world of pain."

Once he'd stood up, Luffy then helped his wife out of bed and led her out the bedroom for a short trek to the kitchen.

Nami looked at her husband's face as her mind wandered back to her earlier thoughts. She wondered if he would tell her about his scar once they reached Raftel and he claimed the title of Kaizoku Ou. And she also wondered if _she_ would ever be able to tell him about the sorrow she'd been harboring during the short course of their marriage.

Before entering the kitchen, Nami tugged on one of Luffy's shirt sleeves, which, in turn, had Luffy turning to her with curious eyes.

"Nami? Something wrong?"

She shook her head. "There's not really anything _wrong_, but I wanna ask if you'll ever tell me about one day? Perhaps when we reach Raftel?"

Luffy's eyes were shadowed by the long strands of his hair; he knew _exactly_ what she was talking about. "Only if you tell me what's been making you so sad lately."

Nami stared at him in shock; she hadn't been aware that he'd been paying _that_ much attention to her feelings. A small smile graced her lips; perhaps he loved her more than he let on.

Nami turned him around and made him look in her in the eye, despite the slight height difference. "I promise I'll tell you everything, but only if you promise to tell me everything, as well."

He grinned his normal, happy grin. "Of course! Shishishi!"

Nami grinned back at him, the smile on his face infectious. She knew from that point that even though they both had scars on their hearts, they'd be able to work through their wounds together.


	12. Branded

**Disclaimer:** I do not own One Piece. It is owned by Oda Eiichiro and whatever other persons/companies involved with its release/production.

**A/N:** All chapters will either be based upon the anime/manga version of the series (pre time-skip and post time-skip) or be AU based. I will be using Japanese for honorifics, professional titles, nicknames, locations, attacks/techniques, naming formats, and also a few various words here and there that do not fit into the listed categories. If you have any questions on what something means, please do not hesitate to ask. Thanks!

**Pre/Post Time-Skip (Anime, Manga, or Animanga) or AU: **Post Time-Skip (Animanga)

**Fair Skies  
**_Chapter Twelve: Branded_

The pain burned like nothing else, but she refused to cry. A pirate crew—thugs, to her—that was local to the area had taken a liking to her and asked her to join them. Of course, she played the part of the fluttery, flustered damsel who was flattered but taken.

Usually, most men had fallen for her ruse, but this particular group of pirates knew who she was and _why_ she was so valuable. She'd set fire to their ire when she'd flat out refused their invitation, so they took it into their own hands, after seeing that she was unarmed, knocked her out from behind and dragged her back to their captain.

Their captain was a fairly handsome, but black-hearted man. He'd taken a good look at the red-haired woman before ordering his crew to move her hair aside and then untie the strands to her bikini top, which completely ticked her off. Unfortunately, there wasn't much she could do as her front side was being pushed into the gravely ground before that crew's captain and before she knew it, she felt a hot iron being pressed into the middle of her back. She bit her lower lip so hard that she ended up drawing blood, but she refused to scream or cry or show any bit of emotion to the lowlifes that were causing her so much pain.

Once it was over, she took several harsh breaths and then looked up to find that captain staring down at her with a smirk. He knelt down to her level and then pulled on a chunk of her hair that had her grunting in pain. "Wear it with pride," he stated silkily to her glaring visage. Releasing her hair, he got up and then summoned his men, stating that their work was done.

After they'd left, the woman re-tied her top and slowly got up as the pain was excruciating. Once she was on her feet, she pushed her hair to the front and then had her left hand gently graze the center of her back to see what they'd done to her. Her eyes widened when she felt indentations marring what used to be smooth skin, her stomach sinking fast as a wave of nausea overcame her. Before she passed out, one name flitted through her mind.

_Luffy._

%%%%%

"Nami? Hey, Nami!"

"Shut up, you moron, you'll disturb her!"

"Your face is disturbing enough."

"Ha?! What was that, Marimo?!"

"Hey, you're disturbing my patient! Don't make me throw you idiots out!"

"You're all being childish; would like for me to personally shut each of you up?"

"Mellorine!"

"Keep those hands away from me, woman!"

"Hey guys, look, she's waking up!"

"Nami-san!"

"Stupid Ero-cook..."

Nami opened her eyes slowly and saw many faces looking down at her, the nearest being the face of her captain. Blinking her eyes and then shaking them from the haze they were in, she sat up in confusion.

"How long was I out for?"

"I couldn't really say, but I'm guessing anywhere between two to three hours," Chopper replied, while he began to check her pulse. "Anything you can think of that would've caused you to pass out like that? You were out cold when we found you."

She really didn't want to tell them; she felt ashamed. Another pirate crew had probably branded her with their mark—she couldn't confirm if that was actually the case, though—and left her there in the street for others to bear witness to her humiliation.

Her hair fell forward and surrounded her face like a curtain. "I-I don't-"

"Hey! What's that on your back?!"

Nami's head shot up instantly, eyes horrified. Luffy had seen what was on her back, which made it impossible to escape from telling him the truth—he could always tell when she was lying.

"Nami," Robin began gently, "let us see your back. We may be able to help."

Looking into Robin's concerned gaze and then back into Luffy's earnest one, she relented. "All right." She pushed hair to the front and allowed them to see what was there.

Robin gasped softly. "Nami, that's the mark of the local pirate crew! What happened?!"

The younger woman shrugged. "Not much, really. They wanted me in their crew, so when I refused them, they brought me to their captain, forced me to the ground, and burned a hot iron into my back. They left after they believed to have broken me—I've felt worse pain from Arlong," she finished off with a snort.

Sanji was shaking, Luffy was clenching and unclenching his fists, and finally, Zoro had his right hand on the hilt of one sword.

"Nami-san... tell me... they didn't... _violate_ you in any way, did they?" Sanji asked through gritted teeth.

Nami blinked. "No, they didn't. You think I'd be _this_ calm if they _had_?

Luffy's eyes were shadowed by his hat and hair, his voice hard when he spoke the following words, "Robin, what's the name of that pirate crew?"

Tapping a finger against her chin, she said, "I believe they're called the Demon Jets."

"Thanks." And with that, Luffy left the infirmary with a door slam.

%%%%%

The captain of the Demon Jets, otherwise known as Hartling Jet, laughed boisterously, while he and his crewmates were visiting a bar and getting wasted.

"That red-haired bitch really had it coming!" the captain shouted. "Anyone who rejects an offer from the Demon Jets will end up on the other end of our hot iron. Isn't that right, men?!"

His crewmates cheered, but their joviality was short-lived.

A man who had entered the bar, while they were drinking away, ended up knocking out half of said crew without even touching them. Hartling turned to the source of the problem.

"Oh... so there's someone in here worthy of my time." He draped off his coat and handed it to one of his men. "Hold this," he said, while cracking his knuckles. "I have some swift business to attend to."

Both men began to round each other up, but before Hartling could even make a move, he was swiftly knocked out. Getting off the ground, he clenched at his blood nose and jaw, all the while staring into cold, murderous eyes.

"You hurt her." Another blow was given, that time, to his gut.

The other man stumbled in pain, while blood dripped down his face.

"You _branded_ her!" A third blow was given, which was to his left side—he swore he could hear something crack, too.

A final blow was landed to Hartling's groin—the pain was more intense than anything else. When he looked up from his kneeling position, he found the other man still looking at him with those cold eyes. Stay the _hell_ away from her! Come near her again and I'll be sure to have a plot ready for you... _six feet underground_."

The man finally left the bar, which shocked the non-injured crew members out of their reverie.

One of them said, "You know, I think I remember seeing that face on wanted posters."

Another one said, "There's no _thinking_ about it! It was really him! Mugiwara no Luffy!"

%%%%%

"Can't you do something about this mark, Chopper?"

The doctor sighed. "Well, we _could_ try to morph it into a different mark, but it'll be a painful process. The flesh on your back is much more sensitive than that of your arm, since your spine's there. Another option would be to surgically remove it, but I'm not well-versed in removing tattoos, so I don't wanna chance it and hurt you even further."

Nami chewed on her lower lip. "Let's give it a try—changing the mark to something different, that is."

Chopper blinked. "You have something in mind?"

The navigator grinned brightly. "Actually... I do!"

%%%%%

Luffy made it back to the ship a few hours later, hands stained with blood. He went to the bathroom and cleaned himself up before deciding to visit Nami in the infirmary—no point in making her worry more, right?

Once he was blood-free, he went to the infirmary and was greeted with a smile by his navigator. He blinked a few times and then cocked his head to one side.

"What's going on?"

Nami, still in a bit of pain, stood up carefully, turned around and said, "Push my hair back."

Unsure what she was going on, he did as told, eyes growing larger by the second when began to see what was there.

"Like it?"

The young captain nodded mutely; the symbol of the Mugiwara-ichimi was carefully engraved on her back.

"But... won't people think that I've branded you if they see that?"

Pulling her hair out of Luffy's grasp, she let it drop back onto her back. She then spun around and hugged him tightly—she was suddenly the culprit of his brain malfunction.

"Nami?" he squeaked.

"I don't mind being branded by you. If it's you, Luffy, I really couldn't care less what people think. You've already given me so much, so I wanted to do this as a token of my appreciation," she said breathily into his neck.

Relaxing a bit, Luffy wrapped his own arms around her as carefully as possible as to avoid her new mark. "You're amazing, Nami, and one day we'll get to Raftel with all our dreams accomplished with you as the compass that guides our hearts."

Tears gathered at the corners of her eyes as she murmured, "Thank you," into his neck.

They stayed like that for a few more minutes until Nami said, "Hey, Luffy?"

"Hmm?"

"You didn't actually go and _fight_ that jackass, did you?"

Luffy chuckled sheepishly and Nami sighed.

"Idiot."


	13. Desire – Part One

**Disclaimer:** I do not own One Piece. It is owned by Oda Eiichiro and whatever other persons/companies involved with its release/production.

**A/N:** All chapters will either be based upon the anime/manga version of the series (pre time-skip and post time-skip) or be AU based. I will be using Japanese for honorifics, professional titles, nicknames, locations, attacks/techniques, naming formats, and also a few various words here and there that do not fit into the listed categories. If you have any questions on what something means, please do not hesitate to ask. Thanks!

**Pre/Post Time-Skip (Anime, Manga, or Animanga) or AU: **Post Time-Skip (Animanga)

**Fair Skies  
**_Chapter Thirteen: Desire – Part One_

She felt vulnerable when he looked at her like that. Those predatory eyes were full of hunger—want—just for her. Her knees felt wobbly, almost like jelly, but she didn't care; he wanted _her_ and no one else.

It was their nightly ritual—making love in the galley till sunrise. Luffy's breathing was harsh and so was Nami's as they continued to stare at each other until the former snapped and pushed Nami into a wall with a primitive snarl. The navigator growled at her lover and then pulled him into a fierce kiss.

Luffy shortly broke away from the kiss, his eyes filled with lust for the woman before him. Putting his mouth on her neck, he suckled the tender skin there, eliciting a moan from the red-head. He pulled his mouth from her newly marked skin and she whimpered from the loss. Instead of chuckling like he always would, Luffy made one hot demand against her sensitive flesh, "Strip."

Nami's eyes darkened further, while she ran a tongue over her swollen lower lip. If she hadn't been aroused before, she was then. Wordlessly, she pushed Luffy away from her and began to do as told. For every garment she discarded, Luffy licked his lips in anticipation, while his eyes glowed in appreciation.

Once Nami was bare, Luffy made short work of his own clothes before pulling the beautiful woman flush into his own naked body. The young captain felt her shiver and when he realized it wasn't because she was cold, he smirked and delighted in her response to his own nudity.

"Baby, you're not sleeping tonight."

Nami gazed into his dark eyes through her half-lidded ones and smirked.

"Wasn't counting on it."


	14. Desire – Part Two

**Disclaimer:** I do not own One Piece. It is owned by Oda Eiichiro and whatever other persons/companies involved with its release/production.

**A/N:** All chapters will either be based upon the anime/manga version of the series (pre time-skip and post time-skip) or be AU based. I will be using Japanese for honorifics, professional titles, nicknames, locations, attacks/techniques, naming formats, and also a few various words here and there that do not fit into the listed categories. If you have any questions on what something means, please do not hesitate to ask. Thanks!

**Pre/Post Time-Skip (Anime, Manga, or Animanga) or AU: **Post Time-Skip (Animanga)

**Fair Skies  
**_Chapter Fourteen: Desire – Part Two_

Luffy growled as he tried to wiggle out of the handcuffs that held him down, but with no such luck—he was bound and naked on the bed he shared with his wife. His beautiful, red-haired wife was smirking at him, while wearing negligee that left little to the imagination. The young captain snarled, "Nami, this really isn't funny! Let me outta this _now_!"

Licking her lips at her husband's tone, Nami soon crawled onto the bed and pressed a hot kiss to his mouth—one he gladly reciprocated. When their lips finally parted, a strand of saliva kept their tongues connected. Nami then splayed her hands on his naked chest and pushed herself up to see his reaction. Luffy stared at her with half-lidded, dilated eyes, cheeks flushed with desire.

Nami loved being in control when they made love because she knew that the man she was giving so much pleasure to could've easily broken the cuffs around his wrists if he really wanted to. He was powerful, so much more than she could ever dream to be, but the lustful sounds that were eliciting from his mouth and the erotic expressions on his face gave the navigator such a rush because she _knew_ that only _she_ had such a hold over him.

"Do what you will," Luffy said between kisses, "but when this is all over, I'm gonna punish you, starting with a spanking."

Nami nibbled on his lower lip and then replied with a sexy smile, "I'll hold you to it."


End file.
